Christian artist Michael W. Smith enlisted some of Nashville’s best voices to join him on his fourth career holiday album, titled The Spirit of Christmas (Sparrow Records/Universal). Vince Gill (performing “Christmas Time Is Here”), Martina McBride (“What Child Is This”), Jennifer Nettles (“Christmas Day”), Lady Antebellum (“White Christmas”), and U2’s Bono are among the names lending their time and talents to the project. “I’m still pinching myself that we pulled all that off,” Smith said during rehearsals for CMA Country Christmas, which airs tonight at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.
Smith contributed two performances to tonight’s CMA Country Christmas airing, showcasing songs from the project. Carrie Underwood joined Smith for a rendition of “All Is Well,” while Little Big Town offered their signature harmonies on “Silent Night.”
Robert Deaton, a longtime executive producer for the Country Music Association awards, as well as executive producer for CMA Country Christmas, signed on to produce the album, along with Smith orchestral maestro David Hamilton. The Spirit of Christmas marks Deaton’s first foray into album production, and Smith says the idea for the project originated with Deaton.
“Last year’s [CMA Country Christmas] performance with Jennifer Nettles is what kicked off the whole idea to do this record,” Smith says. “I wanted to do another Christmas album, and collaborate with singers, so Robert brought this whole idea to me. It’s a lot of his relationships. Robert began naming all these people, and I thought, ‘What if they all say no?’ But then to get in there and find out that Little Big Town had my Go West Young Man record when they were teenagers. That’s wild. They were fans, and I think Carrie grew up singing some of my stuff in church.”
Smith assures the admiration is mutual. “I’m fans of everyone on this record, and I think it’s out of the box, and I like doing things out of the box. What a great opportunity to get outside of your musical bubble.”
In a time where collaborations are often solitary affairs, with artists laying down their separate vocal parts in studios thousands of miles apart, The Spirit of Christmas was crafted with artists melding their music talents together in the studio, lending a creative synergy to the recordings. “The biggest challenge to making the record was schedules, with all these A-level artists,” Smith states. “I think just looking at the calendar and booking artists two and a half months out, that was the biggest challenge. But recording together created such a good fellowship. I’ve never really hung out with Lady A. I see Hillary [Scott] at Whole Foods and we’ll chat. I sang with Little Big Town, Martina, Carrie, and I think they genuinely came in with a lot of excitement and passion.”
Carrie Underwood and Michael W. Smith perform “All Is Well” on “CMA Country Christmas,” airing tonight.
is a deft mix of hymns and classic carols, each uniquely suited to the artist performing it. For example, it was Little Big Town who crafted the harmonies heard on “Silent Night.” “They came in extremely prepared and had worked on it. I thought, from a production perspective, I just wanted them to do their thing because they do it so well,” Smith said. “We knew we wanted to do a lot of standards and take people down memory lane.”
One of the many standout tracks is “The Darkest Midnight,” featuring a spoken word rendition by U2 lead singer Bono, whom Smith has been friends with for 12 years. “That was one I didn’t know we would pull off,” Smith says of the track. “I was almost afraid to ask him. I knew he was in the middle of finishing up the U2 record, which was five years in the making. We knew that getting him to sing a song was probably a long shot, and when Robert laid it out, he said, ‘What if Bono did a spoken word? What if he read a psalm or if he found an old Irish carol or something?’ I emailed Bono, and he said the project sounded interesting.”
Smith selected the first and last verses from the seven-verse carol “The Darkest Midnight,” and sent it to Bono to record. “I was a little taken aback by the whispering thing, because I had written this bed of music to go under it. When he first sent it, I thought, ‘Is this going to work? He’s whispering.’ I kept listening to it, and I thought, ‘This is so Bono.’ I think it’s brilliant, what he did.”
Michael W. Smith with Jennifer Nettles and Little Big Town
Smith is currently bringing the sounds of Christmas to audiences across the country as part of his
The Spirit of Christmas Tour. With another tour in the works for next year, Smith says he’s just beginning to look ahead to his next recording project. “I have to have time to dream a little bit,” says Smith. “I want to get out of the box and work with people I’ve never worked with. I love it when genres collide. I just watched the HBO documentary [
Sonic Highways] with Dave Grohl. It’s amazing. Maybe he would come and do something on my record. I think there is room to bring in someone like Alison Krauss. I’m a huge fan of hers; she’s an amazing vocalist. For the next project, I’m really giving myself room to dream.”
Watch: Michael W. Smith performs “All Is Well” with Carrie Underwood and “Silent Night” with Little Big Town tonight (Dec. 1) during
CMA Country Christmas, which airs beginning at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.
Artist Updates: Luke Bryan, Josh Turner, Willie Nelson
/by Eric T. ParkerLuke Bryan.
Luke Bryan is in Georgia with family this week after the passing of his brother-in-law Ben Lee Cheshire, 46, (husband to Bryan’s late sister Kelly) over the weekend. The cause of death was not immediately made public. Bryan will be officiating the service, along with Rev. Andy Hardin. Cheshire leaves behind three children.
Bryan suffered the loss of his biological brother (in 1996, at the age of 26) and sister (in 2007, at the age of 39). Bryan’s 2013 “Drink A Beer” hit No. 1 in dedication to his late siblings, while his recent CMA Award acceptance speech for Entertainer of the Year included a nod to those “angels in heaven.”
In accordance with the news, Bryan will no longer be attending or performing at tonight’s CMT Artist of the Year show (Dec. 2), which is set to honor the superstar along with four additional artists.
• • •
Pictured (L-R): Josh Turner, Trey Fanjoy
Video director Trey Fanjoy cozied up to MCA Nashville’s Josh Turner on set of Turner’s “Lay Low” music video. The shoot took place at a 200-year-old cabin in Rock Island, Tenn. “Lay Low” is Turner’s current radio single and the lead song off his upcoming 2015 album release. Behind-the-scenes footage including commentary from Turner and Fanjoy is also available.
Read MusicRow’s write-up about his exclusive album preview party earlier this season.
• • •
Willie Nelson.
The legendary Willie Nelson has announced two nights of music planned March 3 and 4 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Tickets will be available Saturday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. from $39.50 for each of the evenings. Each show set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Ticketmaster outlets, the Ryman box office, and phone (800-745-3000) orders will be available.
Levi Hummon Signs With Deston Entertainment, Kobalt Music Publishing
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Whitney Daane, Desmond Child, Levi Hummon & Fletcher Foster.
Singer-songwriter Levi Hummon has signed an exclusive music publishing contract with Desmond Child and Deston Entertainment, in collaboration with Kobalt Music Publishing.
The son of Grammy-winning songwriter Marcus Hummon and humanitarian Rev. Becca Stevens, Levi counts Child as a close friend of the family. Child says, “The first time I heard Levi sing, I knew he had star quality and the natural instincts to develop not only into a great writer but also a true artist.”
“Levi is a special talent, and we are thrilled to be working with him, as well as Desmond and Deston Entertainment,” added Kobalt’s Sr. VP Creative, Whitney Daane.
Levi’s song, “Make it Love” was featured in Child’s documentary film, TWO: The Story of Roman & Nyro, making it on the short list of nominations for the Oscar’s “Best Original Song.” Levi recently signed with Big Machine/Valory Records and is currently writing and recording his first full-length album to be released in 2015. Levi Hummon is represented by Fletcher Foster and Iconic Entertainment.
The Doobie Brothers to Receive ASCAP Voice of Music Award
/by Troy_StephensonPictured (L-R): ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan and Loretta Muñoz, ASCAP President Paul Williams, the Doobie Brothers’ Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald, ASCAP EVP of Membership John Titta, ASCAP’s Michael Martin and Jason Silberman, ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento at the 2014 ASCAP Country Music Awards
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced that it will honor rock icons The Doobie Brothers with the prestigious ASCAP Voice of Music Award during its 32nd annual Pop Music Awards. The invitation-only gala will take place on April 29, 2015 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. The event will also celebrate the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most-performed pop songs of 2014.
The ASCAP Voice of Music Award honors ASCAP members whose music gives voice to the spirit of a generation. The Doobie Brothers take their place among a stellar list of past recipients, each one an influential music great: Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, Amy Grant, George Strait, Diane Warren and Jimmy Webb.
“Over the years the Doobie Brothers have given us one memorable song after another,” remarked ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams. “Their ever-changing sound has embraced classic rock, pop, country and soul, but terrific songwriting has always been at the heart of what they do. I am thrilled to honor the Doobies for more than four decades of music that continues to speak to generations of listeners.”
The 32nd ASCAP Pop Music Awards will precede the 10th annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO, the only national conference dedicated to the craft and business of songwriting and composing. The EXPO will take place April 30th – May 2nd, 2015 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.
MusicRowPics: Kelsea Ballerini
/by Jessica NicholsonKelsea Ballerini visit
Kelsea Ballerini just might be country’s female answer to the whole bro-country craze. Not afraid to blend country and pop influences with rock overtones and even a touch of hip-hop flavor at times, this Black River Entertainment songwriter and artist’s songs are undeniably catchy.
The Knoxville, Tenn. native visited MusicRow‘s office to perform songs from her self-titled Black River digital EP. “XO” is a rap-influenced kiss-off to an under-committed lover, while “Dibs” is a flirty, infectious country-pop confection. She showcased her soft side in the earnest ballad “Stilettos,” a track that didn’t make the EP, but one Ballerini predicts will make her upcoming full-length album.
Ballerini began writing songs at 13. “I always loved music, but I never thought it was what I wanted to do until I started writing. It just kind of fell into my lap and I never really stopped writing songs. So I moved to Nashville when I was 15 years old with my mom and tried to figure out what to do. I ended up signing a publishing deal first, and I did that for a year before I signed my deal.”
Like most writers, Ballerini has found a group of fellow songwriters that share her vision and musical influences. “Josh Kerr, Catt Gravitt and Forest Whitehead and Jennifer Denmark are my go-to writers,” Ballerini says. “I know that whenever I write with that group of people, I’ll get something I will like.” In fact, Kerr accompanied her on guitar during the visit to MusicRow.
She ended the performance with her current single, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” a song that has gotten a lot of performances during Ballerini’s recent 22-week radio tour. “I always remember being in that period of being a songwriter…I always wanted to be an artist. That was my dream and goal,” she says. “I knew I needed to find a sound and a song that was different. I remember one night I got together with a bunch of writer friends and we were eating pizza and listening to Rihanna’s ‘Take A Bow,’ which is such a swagger song. She drips swagger in that song. Forest said, ‘Kelsea, you need a song with swag in it.’ And I thought that was funny because anyone who knows me knows I have little to no swag,” she quipped. “We wrote this song, and it felt really natural, and he did a demo for it. I remember listening to it, and thinking, ‘This is it, this is my sound.’ So this is the cornerstone for everything on the EP and everything on the record.”
[slide]
Michael W. Smith Enlists Top Country Talent For Christmas Project
/by Jessica NicholsonSmith contributed two performances to tonight’s CMA Country Christmas airing, showcasing songs from the project. Carrie Underwood joined Smith for a rendition of “All Is Well,” while Little Big Town offered their signature harmonies on “Silent Night.”
Robert Deaton, a longtime executive producer for the Country Music Association awards, as well as executive producer for CMA Country Christmas, signed on to produce the album, along with Smith orchestral maestro David Hamilton. The Spirit of Christmas marks Deaton’s first foray into album production, and Smith says the idea for the project originated with Deaton.
“Last year’s [CMA Country Christmas] performance with Jennifer Nettles is what kicked off the whole idea to do this record,” Smith says. “I wanted to do another Christmas album, and collaborate with singers, so Robert brought this whole idea to me. It’s a lot of his relationships. Robert began naming all these people, and I thought, ‘What if they all say no?’ But then to get in there and find out that Little Big Town had my Go West Young Man record when they were teenagers. That’s wild. They were fans, and I think Carrie grew up singing some of my stuff in church.”
Smith assures the admiration is mutual. “I’m fans of everyone on this record, and I think it’s out of the box, and I like doing things out of the box. What a great opportunity to get outside of your musical bubble.”
In a time where collaborations are often solitary affairs, with artists laying down their separate vocal parts in studios thousands of miles apart, The Spirit of Christmas was crafted with artists melding their music talents together in the studio, lending a creative synergy to the recordings. “The biggest challenge to making the record was schedules, with all these A-level artists,” Smith states. “I think just looking at the calendar and booking artists two and a half months out, that was the biggest challenge. But recording together created such a good fellowship. I’ve never really hung out with Lady A. I see Hillary [Scott] at Whole Foods and we’ll chat. I sang with Little Big Town, Martina, Carrie, and I think they genuinely came in with a lot of excitement and passion.”
Carrie Underwood and Michael W. Smith perform “All Is Well” on “CMA Country Christmas,” airing tonight.
The Spirit of Christmas is a deft mix of hymns and classic carols, each uniquely suited to the artist performing it. For example, it was Little Big Town who crafted the harmonies heard on “Silent Night.” “They came in extremely prepared and had worked on it. I thought, from a production perspective, I just wanted them to do their thing because they do it so well,” Smith said. “We knew we wanted to do a lot of standards and take people down memory lane.”
One of the many standout tracks is “The Darkest Midnight,” featuring a spoken word rendition by U2 lead singer Bono, whom Smith has been friends with for 12 years. “That was one I didn’t know we would pull off,” Smith says of the track. “I was almost afraid to ask him. I knew he was in the middle of finishing up the U2 record, which was five years in the making. We knew that getting him to sing a song was probably a long shot, and when Robert laid it out, he said, ‘What if Bono did a spoken word? What if he read a psalm or if he found an old Irish carol or something?’ I emailed Bono, and he said the project sounded interesting.”
Smith selected the first and last verses from the seven-verse carol “The Darkest Midnight,” and sent it to Bono to record. “I was a little taken aback by the whispering thing, because I had written this bed of music to go under it. When he first sent it, I thought, ‘Is this going to work? He’s whispering.’ I kept listening to it, and I thought, ‘This is so Bono.’ I think it’s brilliant, what he did.”
Michael W. Smith with Jennifer Nettles and Little Big Town
Smith is currently bringing the sounds of Christmas to audiences across the country as part of his The Spirit of Christmas Tour. With another tour in the works for next year, Smith says he’s just beginning to look ahead to his next recording project. “I have to have time to dream a little bit,” says Smith. “I want to get out of the box and work with people I’ve never worked with. I love it when genres collide. I just watched the HBO documentary [Sonic Highways] with Dave Grohl. It’s amazing. Maybe he would come and do something on my record. I think there is room to bring in someone like Alison Krauss. I’m a huge fan of hers; she’s an amazing vocalist. For the next project, I’m really giving myself room to dream.”
Watch: Michael W. Smith performs “All Is Well” with Carrie Underwood and “Silent Night” with Little Big Town tonight (Dec. 1) during CMA Country Christmas, which airs beginning at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.
CRS Announces 2015 'New Faces,' Seating Available
/by Eric T. Parker2015 CRS New Faces. Pictured (L-R): Eric Paslay, Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae, Cole Swindell, Frankie Ballard.
Country Radio Seminar officials have announced the performers for the CRS 2015 New Faces of Country Music Show as Frankie Ballard (Warner Bros./WAR), Sam Hunt (MCA), Maddie & Tae (Dot), Eric Paslay (EMI) and Cole Swindell (Warner Bros./WAR).
The show will be held Feb. 27 during Country Radio Seminar at the downtown Nashville Convention Center, officially closing the Feb. 25-27, 2015 seminar.
Seating-only admission is still available. Dinner tickets are sold out. Registration for the February 3-day seminar is currently $499, with New Faces seating-only offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The on-site registration rate will be announced closer to CRS. Visit CountryRadioSeminar.com to receive the current rate.
New Faces is co-sponsored by the Academy of Country Music and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
BBR Music Group Signs Craig Campbell
/by Jessica NicholsonIn addition to a new label home, Campbell has joined Rob Baker and Camile Alston of Longshot Management for representation, as well as Jensen Sussman‘s publicity firm Sweet Talk Publicity. He is booked by William Morris Endeavor.
“The minute he became available, we started getting calls from our partners in radio saying BBR Music Group was the perfect place for Craig and we should consider signing him. After spending some time with Craig and his new music, I was excited about what we could do together,” said Benny Brown, President/ Owner of the BBR Music Group.
“I am super excited at the opportunity I have with RED BOW and to work with this incredible team,” Campbell said. “I’m more fired up than I have ever been and can’t wait to get my new music out to radio and the fans!”
Campbell was previously signed to Bigger Picture Group, which closed in May 2014.
Campbell is recording new music, and will release a new single on Red Bow Records in 2015. Additionally, the SESAC-affiliated artist-songwriter recently garnered a big cut when Garth Brooks included “All American Kid,” (co-written by Campbell) on his recent album Man Against Machine (Pearl/RCA Nashville).
Reviver Records Launches Nashville Operation
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured: (L-R, back row) Sony Red’s Dewayne Brown, Webster PR’s Kirt Webster, Paradigm’s Brian Hill, Butch Waugh, Star Farm’s Matt Corbin, Conway Ent. Group’s Tony Conway, Paradigm’s Bob Kinkead and Star Farm’s Michael Powers. (L-R, front row): Chris Lucas, Reviver President/CEO David Ross, Preston Brust.
New Jersey-based Reviver Records opens its Nashville operation today (Dec. 1), with LOCASH as its first signing.
David Ross will serve as President/CEO. Ross’ career includes time at Alpha Distributors, S* Management, College Music Journal, and Vertis. Butch Waugh will serve as strategic adviser to Reviver, while promotion veterans Michael Powers and Matt Corbin will oversee radio promotions. Kirt Webster (of Webster PR) handles publicity for LOCASH.
LOCASH are managed by Tony Conway, while Paradigm Talent Agency’s Bob Kinkead will handle booking. Distribution for the label will be handled through Dewayne Brown at Sony RED.
“I feel that we have put together a group of people that have the experience and the success stories to lead this team all the way into the stratosphere,” Ross says. “And, I think that the industry is going to be blown away by what Chris and Preston have coming down the line. We’re ready to take this town by storm.”
Reviver Records, LLC includes the record label, Reviver Music, and a Production and Management Company. The Nashville office location will be announced soon.
Other artists represented by Reviver Records include Samantha Landrum, Little Anthony, Lucas Hoge, Paulette McWilliams, and Flux Forteana.
Ronnie Dunn Announces Signing With Nash Icon
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto courtesy Ronnie Dunn.
Ronnie Dunn says he has signed a new recording contract with Nash Icon. In a Nov. 27 Facebook post, Dunn told fans that he has inked with Nash Icon, a co-venture between Big Machine Label Group and Cumulus Media.
The signing would put Dunn on the same label with Reba (wife to Blackstock), who became the first signee with Nash Icon in October 2014.
In a different post on Nov. 26, Dunn stated, “…talkin’ to Kix, Kix is talkin’ back,” which spurred fans to inquire about a possible reunion of the famed country duo. Dunn quickly added, “not sayin’ reunion.”
The label has not officially announced a deal with Dunn.
Mark Your Calendar – December 2014
/by Eric T. ParkerDecember 1
Steven Lee Olsen/Raised By A Good Time/Columbia Nashville
Colt Ford/Crank it Up/Average Joe’s
December 15
Josh Dorr/Save Your Breath/RCA Nashville
December 2
Sundy Best/Salvation City/eONe
December 9
Carrie Underwood/Greatest Hits: Decade #1/Arista Nashville-19 Recordings
December 2
5th Annual CMT Artists Of The Year ceremony, airing live from Nashville
December 10
ACM Nomination Round Ballot Closes
December 13
30th anniversary edition of the Symphony Ball at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center
December 15
December 31
Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Bash on Broadway; Lady Antebellum and Gavin DeGraw’s performances to be aired on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2015 on ABC